


Recalibration

by cauldronofdoom



Series: mob-verse [6]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, but they're not important in this part, more than you'd expect with them being mobsters, some mentions of others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-09 19:52:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cauldronofdoom/pseuds/cauldronofdoom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as dangerous as secrets are misconceptions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Recalibration

Tony felt comfortable in the morning, warm and safe. He rubbed his cheek into the firm, smooth surface it was lying on, trying to remember if his pillow had always been this hard. Odd, he vaguely recalled liking fluffy pillows. So why was he so comfy now?

He shifted a bit, feeling the same strong, warm thing pressed against him from head to toe and sighed luxuriously. It was nice, a lot nicer than his bunk. His feet got cold there. Lonely, too, despite him being able to hear Thor’s snoring. Here he could hear other breaths, but nothing so loud or annoying. Tony found himself syncing his breathing with it, as simple as blinking.

He heard a laugh and registered the hand sliding up and down his back only when it moved to tug lightly on his ear. “You sure these aren’t supposed to be pointy? ‘Cause I’m not totally sure I didn’t net myself a cat.” Whispered a teasing voice, and Tony twisted up so he could look at clear blue eyes full of amusement when he finally pried his own open. 

“Cap.” He said, voice soft and heavy with sleep. “G’morning.”

Cap snorted. “I don’t think you ever find mornings ‘good’, Tony.” He grinned back at Tony’s lazy, self-satisfied smirk before his face grew more serious. “I have to get up now, Tony. I’ve got work to do, and I’ve already missed my gym time.” One hand cupped the back of Tony’s head as Cap scrunched down awkwardly to kiss him softly and chastely. “You stay here as long as you like. Come find me when you get up, okay? I’ll make you breakfast.” He promised before sliding out from under Tony.

Tony clutched at him, knowing in his half-awake mind only that he didn’t want Cap to leave. The blonde just laughed, grabbing one of the grasping hands to kiss. “You’ll be fine. I’ll be just upstairs, okay?”

Tony pouted, but let go of the taller man. Instead he just rolled into Cap’s spot and curled up, pulling the blanket over his head. He was still sleepy, and Cap had told him to stay and sleep. He could do that.

He fell asleep to the sound of Cap’s laughter.  
*  
Romanov cocked an eyebrow at Steve expressively the fifth time he glanced up at the door to the basement. “Twitchy.” Was her only comment, but Steve blushed anyway. Most of the time there wasn’t even anyone around the door when he thought he noticed movement, but he looked anyway.

He ignored his embarrassment in favour of giving the woman a long look. There was something to her expression… “Barton?” Smugness, that’s what it was. There was only one reason for her to be smug in this situation, and that’s if she figured it out before he did.

She snorted, tossing her hair in dismissal. “As if. I knew when you first brought him here.” Steve couldn’t help the grin and blush at the words. Still, though…

“And?”

“…And when you fight over his sleeping habits, keep it away from the rest of us?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Feelings have happened. Ignoring them will be a shitshow for everyone. He’s gone above and beyond what’s expected for an operative, Coulson’s found no troubles in the accounting, and he could probably have sent some form of SOS to the police if he wanted out. Not that we’ll stop watching him, but let yourself enjoy it.”

To say Steve was startled would be an understatement. Natasha had been with Bucky, and it was his fault that the man was gone. That she would just let something like this be after his last relationship… He knew his people trusted him, would do anything for him, but it always humbled him when they showed it. Especially in seemingly throw-away ways like this. “Thank you, Natasha.” 

She graced him with one of her rare real smiles. “It’s odd how you ended up here, in a profession where killing is just another Tuesday, when you love love more than anything.”

“Do you think it’s just loving love?” He asked, not sure if he really wanted an answer.

“No, it’s mostly that brat you decided to bring home with you like a lost puppy.” She was grinning now, and Steve knew there was no rancour in their relationship. Tony just flirted and Natasha just thoroughly intimidated him. It was an odd dynamic, but it worked for them. It made her laugh, which wasn’t something she’d done much of in over a year.

None of them had laughed much in the last year. It was another way Tony was good here, another place he fit like it was built for him. The thought made him smile, and Natasha just gave him a look that clearly asked when he’d reverted to middle school.

She left him then, and it was all Steve could do to turn his attention back to his paperwork. It had only been a day, not even quite a full twenty-four hours, but he’d missed having Tony around, and it was hard to remember he was here and safe without being able to see…

Steve couldn’t help the fidgeting, and no one else commented. Regardless of what Barton had implied, he’d found Morse and gotten her out almost as fast as Tony, and had checked on her constantly for almost a week. He knew this would affect him more, just because it was Tony who had been taken, but his twitchiness itself wasn’t outside proof of that.

Still, he couldn’t help breathing a huge sigh of relief when Tony hauled himself up the stairs around lunchtime. He was yawning, but had obviously showered and was wearing Steve’s button up again. Steve grinned at that, irrationally possessive over such a small mark. It wasn’t like he didn’t leave hickeys all over the guy usually, but that Tony chose to wear his shirt out of all the options he had… Granted that was mostly sharing Clint’s and some basic and graphic t’s that the marksman picked out for him months ago, but still.

Tony noticed him quickly, then hesitated. Steve felt his smile dim as Tony glanced between him and the kitchen, obviously unsure. He made up his mind quickly, heading over for Steve, but the blonde man couldn’t help but wonder if Tony was blaming him for the kidnapping. He knew he was blaming himself, not having taken Tony’s warnings all those weeks ago seriously enough. Tony was probably wishing he’d never met Steve, that he’d never been forced to join this lifestyle…

“Hey.” Tony said, giving him a sleepy smile. “You promised me breakfast. C’mon!” He grabbed Steve’s arm without hesitance and tried to pull him to his feet. Steve laughed, gathering his papers up one-handed as the smaller man continued to tug on his other arm.

“More like lunch. Hold your horses, Tony, I’m coming! Give me one minute to get these sorted out, okay? Sheesh.” He grinned up at the dark haired man, blue eyes dancing, all sting at the faux annoyance wiped away by the way his hand came up to wrap around Tony’s own elbow. “Be patient for a moment, and there might even be coffee in your future.”  
*  
Tony snorted at Cap’s wry comment. “There’s always coffee in my future. Tash is the only one that doesn’t get things thrown at her if I haven’t had my joe, and that’s only because she’s a ninja and I’d probably wake up in a bathtub of ice missing a kidney if I threw something at her.”

Cap laughed again, and Tony had to resist the urge to blush. Yes, he knew he had a totally ridiculous crush on the competent, caring, intelligent, and really hot leader of the mob, okay? That didn’t mean everyone had to know it. Well, they were all probably super-spies of their own and knew anyways, but still. He didn’t have to embarrass himself by wearing it on his sleeve! Even if Cap was kinda his knight in shining armour right now and everything.

That was why he hesitated before going to Cap. He’d said to find him once he got up, even promised to make food, but the thought of facing him while he was still emotionally raw from the previous night, and without even coffee to make up for his early morning neuron deficiency, was a little daunting. However, he’d caved like a house of cards when the grin and relief on Cap’s face had started sliding off. He wasn’t scared of him, never him, just that all the coddling was due to his capture and not, well, him.

Still, he was too much of an opportunist not to get as close to the man as possible for as long as possible while this state of affairs lasted. So he’d come over, tugging on the larger man’s arm and shamelessly demanding food. Then Cap was laughing and grinning, and Tony would do anything to make him that happy, so it was hard to even worry about looking stupid in front of his crush.

Cap finally gathered all the papers and stood, suddenly enough that Tony almost fell back a step. The hand on his elbow caught him, however, and he found himself reeled back in and tucked under one of Cap’s arms, plastered against the taller man’s side.

He couldn’t help the slight blush, and knew Cap saw it when his laughs turned to more intimate chuckles. Plus the blonde kissed his temple, something that he usually saved for the bedroom. Tony’d gotten used to casual touches, Cap seemed rather tactile, but not as intimate as this. It was ridiculous, since he’d even offered to blow the man in a public area of the house without any modesty before. 

He could feel Cap’s grin plastered over his forehead, and knew he was the only one to hear the husky whisper. “You’re blushing again. I still need to figure out what you were dreaming of last week, you know. You’re cute when you blush.”

That was not helping his blush. Not at all.  
*  
“So I think you need physical training.” Cap randomly tossed out while he was cooking bacon.

Tony blinked, even though the other man couldn’t see it. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I think you need physical training. Some fighting, some breakouts and holds, and to at least be able to throw a punch or kick without hurting yourself. “ He repeated, dishing the bacon from the pan onto a plate and tossing more on. “Actually, we should have been training you already. That was an oversight on my part, and I’m sorry for that.”

Tony could see the slight furrowing of brow that meant Cap was being very serious. “Why?” He questioned, not sure what the man was hoping to accomplish. Tony was probably never going to be a good choice for missions or as a field agent. “It seems like an awful lot of work for a skill set that won’t get used.”

“That shouldn’t need to be used.” Cap corrected, dishing out eggs and toast while the rest of the bacon sizzled. He turned to Tony, handing him the plate with the first batch of bacon. His brow was still furrowed, but he didn’t actually seem mad, or at least not at Tony. He was worried, and guilty, and obviously possessive for the most part. “I think the past days’ events have proven that we can’t just rely on someone more trained being around you. I’m not expecting you to be able to go toe-to-toe with Romanov, but I’d like you at least able to take advantage of a distraction to make an escape from Hydra or other thugs. “

Tony ran his finger over the edge of his coffee cup and made a face. Still, there wasn’t actually much Cap asked of him, and he could tell how torn up the man still was over the abduction. “I guess that’s settled, then. Who’s going to be teaching me?”

“You’ll meet him later.” Cap replied, ruffling his hair like usual. “I told you that you’re going to need to work with our other tech guy some more. Both of them will be over in a bit.”  
*  
“Tony? Save your files and come on. The people I called for are here.” Tony looked up from his work to see Cap hovering in the doorway. He quickly shut down the schematics he had pulled up for Clint’s new bow (you don’t need silencers on that weapon, and it’s impossible to prove what bow an arrow was fired with. It didn’t do the same sort of damage, but a bullet in the heart or an arrow in the eye were equally deadly) and came over, noticing Cap’s eyes once again giving him a once over.

More over-protectiveness, but whatever. Tony could deal with that. He wasn’t prepared for Cap to lean over and give him a quick kiss before leading him off, though. That… that was new.

He followed Cap almost eagerly, looking forward to having a hacker buddy again. Bruce was a biologist and a chemist, and Tash simply had a very logical brain. Having someone who actually loved computers like him around again would be amazing.

He was unprepared for said hacker to be sixteen. The kid was spindly in the way only the still-growing could be and grinning. In fact, Tony was so shocked at the age of his computer help that it took him a moment to look past him to the other person Cap had wanted him to meet.

He blinked.

“Jarvis?!?”

“Indeer, Master Anthony. I confess, it is good to see you again, even if I’d have rather not had this meeting under the circumstances.” The older gentleman was smiling, and Tony brushed past the kid to hug the man that all but raised him. He didn’t even notice the raised eyebrows both Cap and the kid were giving him.

“You… But… How… Jarvis? Were you always in the mob?” Had there been an ulterior motive for him serving Tony’s parents? Tony’d thought the man had actually liked working for them, but that wasn’t necessarily true.

“Nah.” The kid drawled, pulling attention back to him. He looked amused. “He only actually joined about four years ago. Something about spurning an employer and getting blacklisted, then having his savings run low. He’s dating my aunt, had been for years, so the Captain here,” He nodded his head to Cap, who smiled at the kid. Tony felt his stomach clench. “Offered him a job. We get him in as a caterer or supervisor to various events, he brings us information.” The kid stuck out his hand. “Peter Parker, by the way.”  
*  
Tony knew, way back in his mind, that Jarvis and Cap were correct. The best way to avoid stiffness and sore muscles that might even prevent him from crawling out of bed tomorrow was to work out. That didn’t mean he appreciated Jarvis walking him through basic boxing moves again, like he had when Tony was seven and the smartest, richest, youngest, and smallest kid in his fourth grade class.

He was shaking when Cap finally declared the session over and sent Peter and Jarvis back to their place. He’d spent a good few hours on the computers with the kid earlier, so he’d actually had a very productive day for someone who hadn’t gotten up till lunch.

That still didn’t make his muscles feel any better.

Cap had laughed, force fed him something (Tony mostly just choked it down because Cap wanted him to eat) and helped him shower, his bruises preventing him from raising his arms over head height without pain. Tony just relaxed into the care, completely ignoring the reason why he was being coddled like this.

He didn’t even notice he’d been steered to Cap’s room until he found himself lying facedown on the blonde’s bed. “You’re so tense.” Cap chided him lightly, kissing his shoulders. And yes, even after the workout and shower he was still all knotted up from tension. He’d had a stressful few days and spent half that time tied to a chair. It was understandable. “Shh, you’re okay. Let me help.” He felt thumbs dig gently into the back of his neck and groaned.  
*  
Steve didn’t even try to suppress the grin that came to his face while Tony fell apart under his hands. Tony’s shoulders had been stiff all day, even in situations where he normally relaxed. Steve had felt his coiled tension any time they had touched since Tony had woken. It was understandable, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to help.

He dug his thumbs and knuckles into tight muscles, stroked gently up and down the line of the spine, and soothed the blood to flow smoothly under soft skin. Tony gasped and sighed, nuzzling softly into the pillow his face was resting on. Steve just kept going, even after the man under him had turned to unthinking putty under him. He kissed the muscles, stronger than one would think from an IT guy, trying to memorize them. He’d stroked and clutched at them before, but two days ago he’d been slapped in the face by the idea that he might never see Tony again. Suddenly it seemed that he couldn’t see Tony enough.

He spread his attention out to Tony’s limbs, stroking his arms and kissing his fingers. Tony giggled sleepily when he moved on to the other man’s legs, squirming as Steve teased the delicate skin behind his knees by tracing the tendons. He spent some time on Tony’s feet, drawing small moans as he massaged behind the toes and kneaded the arches. 

Eventually he slunk back up Tony’s body, nuzzling into his neck and whispering into his ear. “Turn over?”

Tony just gave a soft snort. “You’re the one that turned me into so much jello. Gonna need a hand with that.”

Steve carefully slipped his arms around Tony, turning him over gently and being careful of his injuries. The long cut was held together with butterfly bandages and covered with gauze, but there was nothing disguising the bruising around his lower ribs and stomach. Steve made a soft, distressed sound and ghosted his fingers over the discoloured mass of swollen skin.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Tony brought one hand up to cup Steve’s face and he burrowed into it, trying to swallow down his guilt and worry. “It’s okay, Cap. I’m fine. A little sore, but fine. You got there soon enough, got me out. You came for me. I’m okay.” He tugged at Steve’s hair, pulling him down to a soft kiss. 

Steve could feel him fighting off sleep and smiled at him. “Call me Steve, Tony. I want to hear you say my name.”

“Steve.” Tony parroted obediently, his eyes already half-closed as he tried valiantly to fight off sleep. “Steve. Ste…” With a final sound that was halfway between a sigh and a yawn, Tony drifted off.

Steve let himself fall to the bed next to the smaller man, his smile somehow managing to grow when his sleeping lover automatically curled up into him. He slid one arm under Tony and pulled him close before drifting off himself.  
*  
Capture. Dark. Stuck. Hurt.  
“Tony? Tony! Tony, wake up!”  
Pain in his ribs, arms trapped….  
“Tony, please. Please, Tony! Wake up!”  
Hands on him, clutching, grabbing,… stroking?  
“It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re not there, Tony. You’re here, with me.”  
Not angry voice? Soft voice? Since when was there a soft voice in the dark with him?  
“Shh, shh, it’s okay, love, I have you. Tony? Tony! Wake up, please, Tony.”

“Cap?”

“Tony! Tony, are you okay? Do you need anything? Tony?” Yeah, he could place that voice now. There were no restraints, just Cap’s arms around him. The pain was just bruising, and it wasn’t new. It hadn’t been caused by the man that held him now. He was safe here.

He melted back down against Cap… no, he said to call him Steve, didn’t he? Steve’s chest, muffling his groan as it pressed on his bruises awkwardly. He’d endure the twinge of pain for the comfort. “Hold me?” He asked, even though Ca-Steve hadn’t let go of him at all yet.

“Of course. Always.” The arms tightened slightly around him, and Tony buried his face in the stronger man’s neck. Steve smelled good, and it was just further proof that he was here and safe. He felt soft kisses feather over his brow, and made a languid purring noise. His arms weren’t really trapped, he was just enveloped in Steve’s hug. He stroked his fingers over the pectoral muscle underneath it, causing a slight shiver in his human body pillow. “Tony?”

He nipped at the skin under his lips, undulating slowly against his bed-mate. “Please?” Adrenaline was still pounding through his veins, but there was no fear chasing it now. His body was confused, but he knew how he wanted to drain this tension.

Steve was quiet for a moment, and Tony held his breath. He knew there was a chance the over-protective blonde would refuse him due to his injuries, so he emphasized his interest with another full-body shimmy and ground his hips shamelessly against the firm stomach they were resting on.

There was no warning when Steve moved, Tony was just suddenly on his back, staring up into eyes it was too dark to see clearly. His legs were spread, falling over the strong thighs kneeling between them. One hand was high on his chest, curling around his collarbone to keep him down. The other was next to his head, holding all of Steve’s not-inconsiderable weight off of him. Steve leaned down for a kiss, not touching anywhere but those four points of contact. “Couldn’t say no to you if I tried.” He admitted softly between short, sweet pecks. “But you stay. You’re injured and just had a nightmare. Let me…”

“Yes!” Tony hissed out, trying to get a longer kiss. Between the hand on his shoulder and Steve’s careful distance, there was nothing even tugging could do to move him. Eventually Tony gave up, letting his whole body fall back into the sheets bonelessly.

Steve huffed out a laugh before pressing his cheek to Tony’s. Tony figured out why when the lamp flicked on. Steve’s shadow was deep enough that he was able to adjust to the light slowly, not even needing to squint as Steve shifted towards the nightstand. “That’s good, just like that.” He whispered into Tony’s shoulder, and Tony shivered. “Let me do this to you, for you. Let me, let me love you, okay? Just relax. I’ve got this.”

Tony muttered something he assumed must have pleased Steve, judging by the happy murmur vibrating against his skin, while he considered that comment. Love him? Surely he didn’t mean, he couldn’t be implying…

Tony moaned and arched before falling back to the bed as Steve prodded gently at a nipple with his tongue. “Too much thinking.” He grouched, tossing Tony a glare that had a lot of humour in it. “No thinking. The bed is a no-think zone.”

Tony gave him a lazy, satisfied smile before turning his face further into the pillow. “M’kay. I can do that. Oh! Specially if you’re doing that, do it again!”

Steve grinned and rubbed his fingers over the soft skin of Tony’s hipbone again. He carefully mouthed down Tony’s chest, delicately skirting the bruising and cut, before breathing a heavy, wet breath into Tony’s bellybutton. Tony squirmed, but Steve rocked him right back down into position. He tried to stay pliant, he really did, but the mouth and tongue on his lower belly were just present enough to cause him to tighten and flex, twitches spreading right out to his fingertips.

“You don’t usually squirm this much.” Steve commented, a question in his eyes as he glanced back up at Tony. “I know you’re ticklish, but this seems like… More.”

The brunette shrugged. “You don’t usually spend so much time on my navel. Plus I’m usually more involved in the proceedings.” He leered outrageously at the blonde, who laughed. Whatever else he was going to say was lost in a sudden wash of heat as Steve sucked him down in one quick motion.

Tony cried out and arched. Steve just stopped, not moving at all. Tony tried to rock himself into that hot mouth, but found himself caught in a strong grip that wouldn’t give him any motion. He took a couple deep, gasping breaths and forced himself to go boneless again, as completely as he could.

It wasn’t until he was as relaxed as he could that Steve started moving again. He couldn’t help the little tremors and twitches, but Steve seemed to ignore them. There was no way Tony could just not react when Steve did that little tongue flutter or swirled his mouth around like he was trying to eat a melting popsicle. He didn’t even have the brainpower to be grateful the stronger man was ignoring the motions and not stopping again.

He couldn’t even manage speech, just gasping and sharp cries. “Oh, oh, Cap! Tha-ohhh! Ste… Ste… Ah!” Steve ignored him when Tony shoved at his head in warning, so he just let his hand rest on the back of Steve’s head as he melted into the bed and floated off.  
*  
Tony had closed his eyes. That was the first thing Steve noticed when he crawled back up the satiated body beneath him. There was still one hand clutching his hair hard enough to hurt, but he just ignored it to brace himself over the smaller man and mouth delicately at a hickey he’d left behind long enough ago that it was almost gone. He didn’t really want to raise it again, didn’t want to do anything to add to the marks on Tony.

He figured he’d found all of them, including the random one on his outer thigh, the fingers on one bicep, and a sharp one of the back of one calf that probably came from the chair he was sitting on. Every single one was something Stane had done to Steve’s Tony, and Steve wasn’t going to forgive any of them. He would remember all of them, memorizing them until he was the only one that knew them anymore, and he was going to get his pound of flesh for Every. Last. One. And then he would string the bastard up outside his own building by his innards in warning to everyone who had ever harmed one of his people, especially Tony.

A soft tug at his hair pulled him back to the present, and he smiled at the hazy blue eyes staring at him. Tony’s answering smile was tinged with annoyance, and Steve’s heart almost stopped for a moment in concern before the demanding hand pulled him into a kiss to tired to be anything but sloppy and hot. “’F I can’t think, you can’t brood.” Tony slurred when he let Steve pull away, and he buried his snort of laughter in dark hair.

“You gonna enforce that?” He whispered in the ear right by his mouth, causing a shudder to run right through the younger man.

“I’m not really in a position to give orders, am I?” He raised one dark eyebrow in challenge. “Though I suppose I could manage a bribe…” One leg lifted to wrap around his hips, and Steve shifted his knee quickly to brace it. It left him in a slightly awkward position, but it meant Tony’s bruised abs weren’t holding the leg up.

He ran one of his hands down Tony’s injured cheek, feathering over the bruise there. “Careful.” He chided before ducking in for another sweet kiss. “Don’t hurt yourself. I…”

“… Will of course be delighted to fuck you like you want.” Tony finished for him, eyes lighting up even as his mouth quirked into a smirk. “C’mon, Cap! Steve. Steve, please? I want it. Please? You won’t hurt me. You’d never hurt me. Let my help you out here.” He ground up against Steve’s erection, which he’d been ignoring because Tony was hurt and that was selfish and there was a reason he’d chosen to suck Tony off as opposed to screwing him into the mattress…

And all of his good intentions flew right out the window when Tony shot him those puppy dog eyes. He sighed, and Tony pressed another kiss to his lips, this one obviously delighted. “Don’t sulk, Steve. You love it, and I love it, and you’re already my knight in shining armour, and I want you to quit trying to be noble about this.”

Steve dropped his head to Tony’s shoulder, knowing the other man already knew he’d won. “Alright, but the same rules apply. We do this my way.”

Tony hummed. “So I just lie back and think of America then? I can do that. Granted I’ll probably be thinking more about how to get you to do all sorts of other depraved and kinky things with me instead, but you’ll just have to settle for that.”

Steve knew he was blushing. He was a far cry from a virgin, but nothing quite compares to the hedonistic dens of university students, and Tony’d fallen in with a particularly fast crowd. Some of the things he suggested, or even just did, were enough to make even hardened criminals look askance. 

And he’d been tossed to the wolves at fifteen. Just one more thing Stane needed to pay for. 

“Just… let me, okay?” He kissed Tony’s cheek, knowing sweet behaviour tripped up Tony as easily as dirty stuff could get him. 

He was correct, and Tony let himself flop back onto the bed. “Fine, fine, we’ll do this your way. But let the record say that I demand to be ravished!”

Steve snorted. “You’re the only one that cares about the ‘record’, and you tend to rewrite it to imply what you want when you do reference it.” Tony just grinned at him, and Steve shook his head as he reached for the nightstand drawer. “Why do I put up with you again?” He teased, coming back with the lube and opening it.

“Because I’m charming.” Tony replied impudently, putting on his most angelic expression. Steve couldn’t keep his grin from his face, but he still pressed an apologetic kiss to Tony’s cheek. He never meant to imply that Tony wasn’t enough, but it was just so easy to fall into banter with the man. 

“That you are.” He agreed, voice breathy. 

Tony gave him an odd look before wrapping his arms around Steve’s broad shoulders and pulling him down as much as he’d allow with the other’s injuries. “You’re acting really odd. Are you okay?”

Steve let out a harsh laugh that sounded more like a sob, his face buried in Tony’s shoulder so he could surround himself with the smell and feel of his lover. “I got you kidnapped. Someone came in here and took you and it’s only thanks to them not knowing that keeping prisoners is always a gamble that you’re even alive!” He trailed one hand down Tony’s side, keeping his touch as light as possible. “It came so close to me never seeing you again, and I…”

Tony craned his neck to kiss at the back of Steve’s. He could feel the muscles straining and the feathering of soft lips against his skin. The goatee rubbed him oddly, that part of his neck not being used to it. He shivered at the feel, at something so Tony…

“I’m okay. I’m fine. You came for me, even though you didn’t know if I’d be there. You came, and you got me. I’m alright.”

“You had a panic attack in your sleep.”

“It’s still pretty fresh. And you pulled me out of it. I’ll be fine, Steve. And you’ll take down Stane, and then it won’t ever be an issue again. Okay?” That was something Steve couldn’t respond to while buried in Tony’s neck, so he pulled back to look into worried blue eyes. 

“I will.” He spread his hand over Tony’s discoloured skin, careful not to touch. “He will pay with his life for daring to touch you ever, and with his legacy for pulling you away from me.”

Tony reached up with both hands for Steve’s face. “Good. Thank you.” Then the earnestness slid off his face, replaced with lewd humour. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, can we get to the part of the night’s entertainment where someone I want dares to touch me?”

He couldn’t help grinning again at that. “You’re incorrigible.” 

“I know. Now, are you going to fuck me or am I going to have to do this myself? You can watch, if you’d like.”  
*  
It was easy to convince Tony to lie back and let Steve take things at his pace. His fingers slid in easily to the tune of hazy, fuzzy sounding comments that would make sailors blush. Then his shaft, and even those words fell off. Tony could do nothing but gasp and moan, his hands clenching and head tossing up in the pillows as Steve fucked him almost painfully slowly.

Steve was on his knees, Tony’s ass pulled up to rest on his thighs as he rocked back and forth slowly. He ground carefully into Tony’s prostate on every stroke, the location almost memorized after the months they’d shared a bed. His hands were on Tony’s hips, holding him close and still. Tony had asked him to kiss him earlier, but Steve had shaken his head. “I want to see you.”

And it was a glorious view, Tony sweating and shaking apart underneath him. All that boundless energy and enthusiasm soothed into compliance with nothing more than a cock in him and hot eyes roaming all over him. Steve didn’t even know when he started talking, a steady stream of compliments and endearments. “So lovely, so sweet, just lying there, letting me have you… You’re so much, so much more than I ever thought I’d get. Hot, and mouthy, and affectionate, and brave, and smart…. You’re everything I could have asked for if I’d known to ask. Oh, Tony, you’re so perfect. Never going to let anyone take you, you’re mine. You let me do this, listen to what I want, give me what I want, what I need… Oh, Tony….”

In the end Tony had come with the first touch on his neglected erection, keening out Steve’s name. That was enough to send him over the edge too, and he let his orgasm lock all his muscles so he wouldn’t accidentally collapse onto his injured lover.

Tony was reaching for him, tugging at his shoulders, when he came back to reality, the lust-fuzzed look fading into actual sleepy contentedness. “C’mere.” He slurred, and Steve let himself collapse down next to him. Tony immediately hauled himself over Steve’s chest, pressing a happy kiss to eager lips. Steve wrapped him up in his arms, barely able to comprehend that he was actually holding someone as amazing as Tony. “Love you.” The smaller man muttered into his ear, obviously already more asleep than awake. 

He reached out for the light, then cuddled back into the snoring mass on his chest and kissed the dark waves by his cheek. “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm having some difficulty with the next chaper, so it'll be a little bit before it comes out. No worries, it's still coming, just not right now.


End file.
